Worldwide OTC Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania, USA.
Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Mar;87(3):267-9. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2009.279.
As escalating health-care costs continue to be a focus of public discourse, the populace has become increasingly attentive to its own health and lifestyle choices. Nonprescription (over-the-counter, OTC) medicines represent an important option in this evolving environment and, through novel "Rx-to-OTC" switch efforts, could expand beyond their traditional role in symptomatic relief of common conditions such as minor pain, coughs, colds, heartburn, and allergy. This is certainly not a new concept. In fact, the self-care movement has roots reaching into the past century. Pharmaceutical companies and their consumer-product subsidiaries or partners have long considered and, when feasible, invested in difficult OTC switch development programs.
随着不断上涨的医疗保健成本继续成为公众讨论的焦点，民众对自身健康和生活方式的选择越来越关注。非处方（柜台销售，OTC）药品在这种不断变化的环境中是一个重要的选择，并且通过新的“Rx 到 OTC”转换努力，可能会超越其在缓解轻微疼痛、咳嗽、感冒、胃灼热和过敏等常见疾病症状方面的传统作用。这当然不是一个新概念。事实上，自我保健运动的根源可以追溯到上个世纪。制药公司及其消费品子公司或合作伙伴一直在考虑，并在可行时投资于困难的 OTC 转换开发项目。
